Scotland's first 'virtual' political movement will be launched today by two former Labour activists in an attempt to appeal to disaffected voters and transform democracy.

YouScotland.com will rely on digital technology to challenge Holyrood's political establishment and change the 'malaise, cynicism and disillusionment' with the Scottish Parliament. It is modelled on the three-million-member US site moveon.org, which was hugely influential during last November's Senate and Congressional elections.

On the centre left of the political spectrum, YouScotland aims to rename MSPs 'representatives' and reduce their number from 129 to 108 - a move it claims will save around £4m a year.

Those behind the movement want to introduce a citizen's right to initiate parliamentary debate via a petitions system: once any petition received 100,000 valid signatures, a day would be set aside in parliament to discuss it.

The party will also advocate a referendum on independence and reducing the voting age to 16.

Founders Alan Smart and Tommy Sheppard, both of whom left the Labour Party in the 1990s, said democracy had the potential to be exciting and genuinely participative because of the digital revolution.

'YouScotland is not proposing to let Simon Cowell run next May's elections,' said Sheppard. 'But we do intend to learn from him and all the other largely media-led participatory formats that have proven that if you engage with people, explain things, and assure them that their vote counts as much as anyone else's, they are far from apathetic or ignorant.'

He said the new movement would be unlike any established political party. 'It will give the people of Scotland - all of us - the chance to contribute to the future of our country.'

But critics said that the odds were stacked against a new internet-based movement, claiming it was a method of reaching political anoraks rather than the general public.